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2020-07-06 07:26:02
4 votes, rating 5.8
4 votes, rating 5.8
66% through Black Box Trophy - Current thoughts
Now up to 66 games in my BBT run, with the last 33 showing slight improvement.
Here are the teams:
2005 All-Stars - High Elves
This is the first team for which I completed the 25 games. Started 3/1/7 into 4/4/6 for a total record of 7/5/13. These boys have had it rough, mostly because I didn't develop them properly early on. I got a blitzer niggled early and have struggled to level up his replacement. I was also developing linemen and not focusing on positionals in the first few games. I went too fancy on the first thrower, but the new one is more on par with what I want for the team.
I also ran into some min-maxed claw mb freaks and nasty dwarves, which has forced us to rely on loners for a long stretch. It's tough to win when you're down by a lot of players in the second half, but rebuilding a bench takes time. I feel I'm still paying for the early mistakes, as I'm lacking some tools in most matchups. The big star is of course the +ST blitzer Kenty (coach of famous necros Sleeper in Metropolis) which has been carrying the team. I'm kinda tempted to retire them and start fresh after the trophy run, but we'll see.
We Da Green Team - Orc
These guys started 3/1/6 and then went 4/2/5 for a current record of 7/3/11. Early roster mistakes with this team were easier to fix since with AV9 get hurt less and linemen are cheaper to replace. I lost a lot of early games on positional errors. One moment you think you're pretty safe, the next your opponent grabs the ball and puts it out of reach.
My positional game has improved, as my record also did slightly, but I don't feel super confident playing them. The margin for error is very small and when you're playing against good defense, it often comes to a slightly harder shot than I'd like on turn 8. I think I need to reconsider developing a thrower, which I had moved away from, along with the ttm game. It just feels too tight when you have only 2-3 turns to score.
Bill Murray you saved my life - Dark Elves
I only played 4 games in this strecth (2/1/1) with the Dark Elves, which is my only team with a slightly positive record of 5/3/4. It seems the box algorithm never had anything for these guys even though I activated them as much as the previous two. This roster is in a much better shape than the High Elves were after 12 games. I've realized that Dark Elves are probably my favorite elf team now. Having 4 guys with block early just makes taking the starting blocks on the line way less risky and you can play a physical game that's quite effective.
As a lot of other coaches, I don't care much for the runner or the assassin, but the witch elves are just mad fun to play with. I got +AG on one of them and I went with pass after she rolled a double on the next skill, following some advice I remembered reading in the forums. I'm interested to try using the witch elf as passer since you naturally need to protect them. Staying in the back field seems like a perfect fit for them. Hopefully that pays off in the last part of the run.
Krenko's Mob - Goblin
Oh boy stunties, the bane of my existence in this trophy run. These guys make me question the point allocation system for the run. If you're not into playing stunty, your only options are (Vampires/Slann/one 2 pts team/one 3 pts team) or (Vampire or Slann/three 2 pts team). Neither of these seemed appealing to me when I made my squad, so I figured I'd give goblins a shot, but I've yet to register a win with them (0/3/5).
Again, I got only 4 games with this team in the last 33, but I stopped activating them. I'm keeping them for last cause I need to do serious homeworks if I'm gonna learn to win with them. Early on I failed to buy enough players so when you're fielding 11 with two secret weapons, it's not gonna go well in the second half. Team development and TV management isn't obvious, so any advice in that regard would be welcomed. Shout out to MenonaLoco for advising me to cycle through Bombers until one hits a double for Hail Mary Pass.
The BBT run has been an interesting challenge so far. If I can gain some type of competency with the goblins, it should make the prospect of doing another run in season 4 slightly more appealing. The level of competition in the box is fierce and I'm still far from the runs that can reach the top of the rankings.
Here are the teams:
2005 All-Stars - High Elves
This is the first team for which I completed the 25 games. Started 3/1/7 into 4/4/6 for a total record of 7/5/13. These boys have had it rough, mostly because I didn't develop them properly early on. I got a blitzer niggled early and have struggled to level up his replacement. I was also developing linemen and not focusing on positionals in the first few games. I went too fancy on the first thrower, but the new one is more on par with what I want for the team.
I also ran into some min-maxed claw mb freaks and nasty dwarves, which has forced us to rely on loners for a long stretch. It's tough to win when you're down by a lot of players in the second half, but rebuilding a bench takes time. I feel I'm still paying for the early mistakes, as I'm lacking some tools in most matchups. The big star is of course the +ST blitzer Kenty (coach of famous necros Sleeper in Metropolis) which has been carrying the team. I'm kinda tempted to retire them and start fresh after the trophy run, but we'll see.
We Da Green Team - Orc
These guys started 3/1/6 and then went 4/2/5 for a current record of 7/3/11. Early roster mistakes with this team were easier to fix since with AV9 get hurt less and linemen are cheaper to replace. I lost a lot of early games on positional errors. One moment you think you're pretty safe, the next your opponent grabs the ball and puts it out of reach.
My positional game has improved, as my record also did slightly, but I don't feel super confident playing them. The margin for error is very small and when you're playing against good defense, it often comes to a slightly harder shot than I'd like on turn 8. I think I need to reconsider developing a thrower, which I had moved away from, along with the ttm game. It just feels too tight when you have only 2-3 turns to score.
Bill Murray you saved my life - Dark Elves
I only played 4 games in this strecth (2/1/1) with the Dark Elves, which is my only team with a slightly positive record of 5/3/4. It seems the box algorithm never had anything for these guys even though I activated them as much as the previous two. This roster is in a much better shape than the High Elves were after 12 games. I've realized that Dark Elves are probably my favorite elf team now. Having 4 guys with block early just makes taking the starting blocks on the line way less risky and you can play a physical game that's quite effective.
As a lot of other coaches, I don't care much for the runner or the assassin, but the witch elves are just mad fun to play with. I got +AG on one of them and I went with pass after she rolled a double on the next skill, following some advice I remembered reading in the forums. I'm interested to try using the witch elf as passer since you naturally need to protect them. Staying in the back field seems like a perfect fit for them. Hopefully that pays off in the last part of the run.
Krenko's Mob - Goblin
Oh boy stunties, the bane of my existence in this trophy run. These guys make me question the point allocation system for the run. If you're not into playing stunty, your only options are (Vampires/Slann/one 2 pts team/one 3 pts team) or (Vampire or Slann/three 2 pts team). Neither of these seemed appealing to me when I made my squad, so I figured I'd give goblins a shot, but I've yet to register a win with them (0/3/5).
Again, I got only 4 games with this team in the last 33, but I stopped activating them. I'm keeping them for last cause I need to do serious homeworks if I'm gonna learn to win with them. Early on I failed to buy enough players so when you're fielding 11 with two secret weapons, it's not gonna go well in the second half. Team development and TV management isn't obvious, so any advice in that regard would be welcomed. Shout out to MenonaLoco for advising me to cycle through Bombers until one hits a double for Hail Mary Pass.
The BBT run has been an interesting challenge so far. If I can gain some type of competency with the goblins, it should make the prospect of doing another run in season 4 slightly more appealing. The level of competition in the box is fierce and I'm still far from the runs that can reach the top of the rankings.
Comments
Posted by mekutata on 2020-07-06 09:24:00
I think Bommas can be cycled (like any Goblin) but remember that the Bomma is much stronger already now that you can combine him with the Ooligan. A Bomma without HMP or Ooligan is tough and probably .
I like Grab on the Fanatic. Was able to get some Goblins pushed into Scoring positions that way.
Remember to form Gangs that do nothing but foul. After all your team is called a Mob.
Throwing Goblins into Cages is great hobby of my Trolls. As your Doomdiver doesn't have Dodge (yet) he is great for doing the Goblin Wizard.
Maybe foul more (you had games with ZERO fouls, and at most ONE....). Also remember to write something witty after each successful CAS foul. If that leads to bans you can easily blame the ref for in case of an unlucky defeat. If things go downhill you can always start fouling with developed Goblins so they can get banned as well and stay healthy for the next game.
I like Grab on the Fanatic. Was able to get some Goblins pushed into Scoring positions that way.
Remember to form Gangs that do nothing but foul. After all your team is called a Mob.
Throwing Goblins into Cages is great hobby of my Trolls. As your Doomdiver doesn't have Dodge (yet) he is great for doing the Goblin Wizard.
Maybe foul more (you had games with ZERO fouls, and at most ONE....). Also remember to write something witty after each successful CAS foul. If that leads to bans you can easily blame the ref for in case of an unlucky defeat. If things go downhill you can always start fouling with developed Goblins so they can get banned as well and stay healthy for the next game.
Posted by Storr on 2020-07-07 15:32:33
In box goblins tend to not get any star players, so you are right that rostering a deep bench is a good idea. I found 15 players including two secret weapons a good number. In general it is advisable to not roster all three weapons, which ones you use comes down to preference. Personally I like looney and fanatic, but in my trophy run I also had a bomma for a few games. He even got hmp and was a massive disappointment. Hmp sounds much better than it is.
Regarding TV management, the first thing comes into mind are rerolls. You have four of them, which certainly is too much. Two should be enough, especially if you manage to get a sure hands or an ag4 gobbo, but even if you want more safety, the maximum should be three. Another thing is the apothecary. Since you don't have an amazing gobbo with ag4 that needs to be protected from death, you should use him aggressively. That means apoing KOs on trolls or a bh on a goblin if you run liw on players. Actually, it's probably best to use the apo that way even when you have an ag4 gobbo. You want to win after all, leave the pixel hugging to [R] coaches.
And at last a comment to fouls: Yes, you want to foul with goblins. But not at all cost. Player count, removal chances and field position needs to be taken into account. There's no shame in not fouling at all. There's shame in writing off a game and fouling with your best players (whatever that is in a gobbo team) to protect them. At least in my opinion. ;)
Regarding TV management, the first thing comes into mind are rerolls. You have four of them, which certainly is too much. Two should be enough, especially if you manage to get a sure hands or an ag4 gobbo, but even if you want more safety, the maximum should be three. Another thing is the apothecary. Since you don't have an amazing gobbo with ag4 that needs to be protected from death, you should use him aggressively. That means apoing KOs on trolls or a bh on a goblin if you run liw on players. Actually, it's probably best to use the apo that way even when you have an ag4 gobbo. You want to win after all, leave the pixel hugging to [R] coaches.
And at last a comment to fouls: Yes, you want to foul with goblins. But not at all cost. Player count, removal chances and field position needs to be taken into account. There's no shame in not fouling at all. There's shame in writing off a game and fouling with your best players (whatever that is in a gobbo team) to protect them. At least in my opinion. ;)
Posted by Uber on 2020-07-07 16:06:01
I appreciate the feedback a lot.
From what I've gathered, for the purpose of a box run, I should probably stay away from leveling up my secret weapons, after all they could only be there for one drive and they don't really need anything to do their job.
A 15 man roster is what I should aim for, leaving a spot for a star player inducement maybe?
I should always MVP the two trolls, plus a Goblin, on which I'm basically trying to get stats or doubles. Anything else should basically be cycled through when the money is available.
I'm guessing I should also develop my Doom Diver with any skills that would let him score more reliably on a TTM attempt (Catch, Dodge, Sure Feet)
In terms of doubles, what do you prioritize? I took block and wrestle so far, but when would you go for sure hands?
From what I've gathered, for the purpose of a box run, I should probably stay away from leveling up my secret weapons, after all they could only be there for one drive and they don't really need anything to do their job.
A 15 man roster is what I should aim for, leaving a spot for a star player inducement maybe?
I should always MVP the two trolls, plus a Goblin, on which I'm basically trying to get stats or doubles. Anything else should basically be cycled through when the money is available.
I'm guessing I should also develop my Doom Diver with any skills that would let him score more reliably on a TTM attempt (Catch, Dodge, Sure Feet)
In terms of doubles, what do you prioritize? I took block and wrestle so far, but when would you go for sure hands?
Posted by Storr on 2020-07-07 20:30:05
If I run a roster with pogo I like sure hands and block on him, with a preference for sure hands since I tend to have few rerolls. (On my box trophy run I took both, plus a ST up and tackle)
For goblins I take dirty player and then wrestle, but block is also great.
The one turn chance with the diver gets better with catch, the other skills are not necessary because you move the diver first and then throw him so he lands in the endzone.
For goblins I take dirty player and then wrestle, but block is also great.
The one turn chance with the diver gets better with catch, the other skills are not necessary because you move the diver first and then throw him so he lands in the endzone.
Posted by garyt1 on 2020-07-09 05:26:03
Keep up the effort and progress! Nice report.
Pass skill on the Witch Elf is an odd one though. They should be hunting and surfing folks. Definitely could do with a hitting skill. Leap goes well with ag5 though at least you have another good leaper.
By the way, you put blitzers on the los when kicking? Probably will save against some both downs but Im not sure you want to risk those guys early.
Pass skill on the Witch Elf is an odd one though. They should be hunting and surfing folks. Definitely could do with a hitting skill. Leap goes well with ag5 though at least you have another good leaper.
By the way, you put blitzers on the los when kicking? Probably will save against some both downs but Im not sure you want to risk those guys early.